Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) August 13, 2018 – A support line for veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, financial hardship and other problems has broadened its reach to every county in Florida. The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the state’s 2-1-1 system partnered for the Florida Veterans Support Line’s (FVSL) expansion. The helpline received around 3,300 calls per year in the three years since its launch in October 2014. However, the number of calls jumped to nearly 10,000 in just the last quarter of 2017 alone since the statewide expansion. Florida veterans can make free calls […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) August 9, 2018 – One of the nation’s largest veterans groups cited Veterans Affairs’ (VA) staffing shortages and doctors’ overprescription of anti-anxiety drugs as reasons why suicide prevention efforts have fallen short. The American Legion released the 20-page report one month after VA leaders published their latest national suicide data that revealed little change in the suicide rate over the years. According to the June data, about 20 veterans per day take their own lives. “The fact that the veteran suicide rate has not decreased over the years is unacceptable,” said Jim Fausone, a veterans […]

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) July 23, 2018 – President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had a confirmation hearing on June 27 and cleared the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on July 10. Trump announced in May that he had picked Robert Wilkie, 55, to permanently lead the troubled VA. However, his original nominee for the post was White House physician Ronny Jackson. Jackson withdrew from consideration after unsubstantiated allegations of professional misconduct emerged. He was also criticized for a lack of experience. “The VA is in need of strong leadership that puts veterans at the […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) July 17, 2018 – A single concussion is tied to an increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers scoured Danish health databases to examine 2.8 million patient records. They discovered those who had sustained any type of brain injury had a 24 percent greater risk of dementia than those who had not. The report, which was published in The Lancet Psychiatry, said those who suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) had the highest risk of developing dementia. “The possible association […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) July 10, 2018 – People dealing with PTSD and other stress disorders have a greater risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease, than those who are not, according to a new study. Researchers compared 106,000 Swedish patients diagnosed with a stress-related psychiatric issue with 126,000 of their siblings and 1.1 million people who did not have a stress-related disorder. They tracked half the subjects for at least a decade. Over the course of the study, published in JAMA, those with PTSD were 46 percent more likely to […]

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) July 6, 2018 – Custom Legal Marketing topped a field of over 6,000 entrants to receive a Platinum Hermes Award for design excellence for the new website of McCormack & Erlich, San Francisco employment lawyers. This is the second award Custom Legal Marketing has won for its work on the McCormack & Erlich website, Mcelawfirm.com. Earlier this year, CLM won a Muse Award for inspiring achievement in design and advertising. One highlight of the McCormack & Erlich website is a compelling, interactive presentation of workplace sexual harassment issues. The site walks the fist-time visitor […]

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) June 27, 2018 – Terminally ill veterans who wish to end their lives must first move out of the government-managed home in which they reside. This is because assisted suicide is contrary to the policy of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. However, for many veterans, relocating would create undue hardship during a time that is already agonizing for them. Veterans who reside at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville, which is the largest retirement home for veterans in the country, are contemplating pursuing legal action if the regulation remains effective. Tampa, Florida veterans […]

Wilmington, DE (Law Firm Newswire) June 15, 2018 – Custom Legal Marketing, an Adviatech company, has opened a strategy center in Wilmington, Delaware, to help attorneys competitively market their firms in an effective and efficient manner. Wilmington, one of the most populous cities in the state, has enormous potential for attorney marketing. As the population continues to increase, competition for legal clients is also bound to get tougher. Custom Legal Marketing’s search engine marketing solutions can help lawyers compete in Wilmington and throughout the State of Delaware. Additionally, Custom Legal Marketing (CLM) offers attorneys a No Competition Guarantee which means […]

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) June 8, 2018 – Data is king in marketing, and Custom Legal Marketing, an Adviatech company, has it in spades with its new report and analytics lounge. Launched in January, the Custom Legal Marketing (CLM) Lounge integrates with multiple services and allows law firms to see their entire marketing campaign in a single dashboard. “Law firms deserve to see a clear picture of where their marketing dollars are going,” said Custom Legal Marketing Co-Founder Jason Bland. “CLM has always championed transparency in all its work for its clients.” Indeed, CLM built their original lounge […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) April 30, 2018 – On March 6, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the commencement of a trial telehealth program providing services to veterans in rural areas. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will now have remote access to therapy and psychiatric services. Since the launch was announced, over 500 rural veterans who had not already received PTSD support have enrolled. The two types of psychotherapy the program focuses on are cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy, both based on strong evidence regarding emotional trauma. “Many concerns have been raised surrounding veterans’ […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) April 23, 2018 – The D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center was recently struck with a biting inspector general report of systematic problems including an absence of necessary medical supplies, unsterile surroundings and unsecured patient information. There was no evidence that the issues directly caused a patient’s death. Inspector General Michael Missal credited the facility’s “committed health care professionals.” He said there was “a climate of complacency that allowed these conditions to exist for years. That there was no finding of patient harm was largely due to the efforts of many dedicated health care providers that […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) March 14, 2018 – A new report revealed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) failed to implement a number of federal security requirements at medical centers nationwide. The findings concluded the shortcomings are potentially exposing patients to the risk of harm. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluated the agency’s security measures and risk management protocols. The watchdog found the VA did not fully follow the standards for federal buildings established by the Interagency Security Committee (ISC). “It is vital for security at VA medical centers to be comprehensive and up to date to ensure patients […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) March 7, 2018 – Thousands of disabled student veterans suffered a delay in receiving their monthly benefits due to a technical glitch at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Around 11,000 former service members enrolled in the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program received their monthly stipends late. Payments that should have gone out on January 31 were not disbursed until February 6. The VA blamed the delay on a computer problem. The delay is likely to have caused the concerned veterans difficulty in making payments on time for rent and other urgent bills. […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) February 21, 2018 – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has enabled hospitals nationwide to hire medical professionals with revoked licenses for more than a decade, a USA Today report revealed. The VA issued national regulations governing hiring practices in 2002. The guidelines gave medical facilities permission to employ health care workers with revoked licenses, provided they considered the facts related to any disciplinary action and the person still possessed a medical license in another state. However, Congress passed legislation in 1999 that blocked the VA from hiring health care providers with revoked licenses, regardless […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) February 14, 2018 – A new executive order seeks to reduce veteran suicides by expanding mental health care for service members transitioning out of the military. President Trump signed the order focusing on a group that is considered to be particularly at high risk of suicide. It comprises 60 percent of recent veterans who do not quality for care until the government ascertains they are suffering from a medical issue that is related to their military service. The order will provide them with mental health care for at least a year upon leaving the military. […]

Miami, FL (Law Firm Newswire) February 12, 2018 – The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) has been engaging in a practice of unlawfully delaying the release of records veterans need to appeal denials of VA disability benefits. Veteran Esquire Legal Solutions, PLLC, has filed a lawsuit to seek judicial assistance in ending this unlawful practice that makes it more difficult for veterans to obtain their benefits, and to obtain the records it needs to represent three veterans seeking VA disability compensation. The lawsuit was filed on February 8, 2018, in the United States District Court for the District […]

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) February 9, 2018 – A couple of disabled veterans have filed a lawsuit in federal court against a bakery and the city. The couple alleges that the owners of the bakery refused to serve them, on multiple occasions, because they were accompanied by service dogs. As reported in Times-Call Local News, Jennifer and Gary Block also allege that police officers who responded to the second incident failed to properly handle the situation, and forced the couple to leave the premises. However, police claim the couple left on their own accord, and the owners of the […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) January 11, 2018 – The results of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study revealed that some Vietnam veterans may have been infected by a river parasite. The parasite is known as liver fluke and is rarely found outside of Asia. The VA conducted a small study between April and June to examine whether liver flukes could be connected to cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and deadly bile duct cancer. The research was conducted at the VA Medical Center in Northport, New York. Five out of the 50 Vietnam War veterans in the study tested positive for […]

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) January 4, 2018 – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) abandoned a controversial plan to divert funds from a key program created to reduce homelessness among veterans. The move came following criticism from veterans groups and lawmakers, who described the decision as counterproductive and callous. The program provides housing vouchers to veterans and is cosponsored by the VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It has been successful so far in reducing homelessness among former service members. According to government data, around 138,000 homeless veterans have received permanent housing since 2008. “Homelessness […]

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) December 28, 2017 – While serving in the Coast Guard, a man injured his back as he was fixing buoys at sea. Following his discharge, he filed a request for veterans disability benefits. However, he was repeatedly denied benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, despite his appeals. He also received letters stating that the department had lost his files. According to The New York Times, 34 years later, Jonathan Bey still has not received his benefits. Bey, who is currently 61, said he was forced to resign from his civilian job 10 years ago […]